PETA urges prosecution

March 12, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent an urgent plea to Crown Attorney Paul Culver urging his office to vigorously prosecute Michael Opheim of Caledon.

Opheim faces Criminal Code charges stemming from a Feb. 28 incident in which he allegedly fatally drowned a raccoon in Toronto. According to news sources, Opheim had trapped the raccoon inside a cage. The raccoon's drowning was caught on videotape. "We saw the animal twitching (in the cage)," a Toronto Humane Society spokesperson said.

"The blatant disregard for life and desensitization to suffering shown in killing this raccoon should not go unpunished," said PETA researcher Dan Paden.

For more information, please visit HelpingAnimals.com. To view PETA's new anti-violence public service announcement featuring Sopranos star Edie Falco, please visit PETATV.com.